The proliferation of the personal computer has given rise to the development of a substantial variety of attendant hardware and software that is customized to meet the needs of a particular industry or application. In the educational/recreational market, for example, the personal computer owner has available to him a myriad of application software that enables the personal computer to simulate a specific type of apparatus, the user interfacing with the computer by means of its associated monitor and keyboard (or mouse or joystick). In addition to an almost endless variety of games that may be played on the personal computer the software industry has developed other forms of dynamic application programs, such as vehicle (e.g. automobile, aircraft) control training/simulation systems, through which the personal computer user may be presented with a monitor display of a simulated action (e.g. flight) condition. Using a cockpit simulator program, as an illustration, the computer user is typically presented with a display of a cockpit control panel and windscreen perspective view outside the aircraft. By keying-in specified sequences of control commands from the computer keyboard, the user is effectively able to `fly` an aircraft whose simulated cockpit flight conditions are displayed on the display monitor. Obviously, such flight simulation systems require very sophisticated programs in order to enable the user to experience all of the aspects of the aircraft's flight. Consequently, the computer user is typically required to employ multiple keystrokes in the course of inputting aircraft control commands, a slow interface process which detracts from the intended simulated realism of the system.
Of course there do exist mockup or specialized hardware devices that contain the control motion elements, instruments and switches of a cockpit control console. However such devices are usually stand alone units and require a special interface adapter that connects with the computer backplane or a signalling port at the rear of the computer chassis. It goes without saying that such configurations are not only expensive but require a modification of existing hardware. In addition they are not designed to be used with existing software packages, since the latter require use of the computer keyboard, an unwanted burden to the custom hardware approach.